Five Safety Requirements for Commercial Trucks

Commercial trucks carry heavy loads, and who of us have never seen a toppled truck on the highways? That is scary, but unfortunately too common a scene around the world. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), joining hands with other individual states, have set clear safety regulations for every kind of commercial vehicle especially for the 18-wheelers that must be followed in order operate in any state. However, issues arise when the commercial truck companies ignore the proper protocols and barely follow the safety regulations, as the risk of serious road accidents increases,and others have to pay for it, with their lives.

According to the Phoenix Mazda, to ensure a safe ride to and fro with a huge truck loaded with heavy goods, one must ensure that the following basic safety regulations are existent, and the commercial truck company associated with this truck is implementing them in order to operate their vehicles.

Protocol Requirements for the Truck Drivers

The standard protocol for recruiting all commercial truck drivers is:

Carrying a valid commercial driver’s license, and proof of completing and passinga driving training that is specific to the type of vehicle they would be operating.

Every driver should carry a current copy of their medical records as a proof that he is physically fit to drive this vehicle.

Truck drivers mustnot consume alcohol before driving the truck and must not use cell phone while driving.

Driving Protocols

Truck drivers must maintain a log to record the number of hours and miles driven by them on a day. Under the act of federal regulation, truck drivers can drive for 10 hours at a stretch after eight hours off their duty or drive 14 consecutive hours after an off duty of 10 hours. Disobeying this rule might lead to drowsiness while driving causing serious accidents.

Vehicle Requirements

Among the list of various rules applicable in truck driving, one of the primary ones is checking out a few requirements that each truck must pass to be accepted as operable as mentioned below:

Emergency equipment.

An array of latest safety features

A proper brake lighting system and a reflector tape.

Underride protection bars.

Mirrors and vision assistance to cover blind spots.

Warning stickers in all the appropriate places.

Enough number of spare tires and mud flaps.

Proper restraining system to prevent the cargo from toppling or falling down.

Cargo Protocols

The first and foremost cargo protocol is not to exceed the weight restrictions especially on commercial vehicles which can damage the axles and the brakes. Taking into consideration the Gross Vehicle Weight rating, the weight should be checked before starting the journey and excessive weight should be reduced under every circumstance. To know more of such driving protocols visit https://www.cardinalewaymazdapeoria.com/.

The Bottom Line

But all these above said protocols wouldn’t be of any use, unless the commercial trucks are compelled to pass the maintenance inspection and maintain an accurate log of the entire driving operation. If a truck driver or a company ignoresthese protocols, the truck is most likely to get involved in a gruesome road accident.